Students in Ken Loyd’s 1985 third-grade class at Sandhills Farm Life Elementary School surprised him with a 40-year reunion on April 5 in Whispering Pines. Loyd retired in 2008.
Including spouses and parents of Loyd’s former students, about 20 people attended the heartwarming event. They served a hot dog lunch and cake.
In 1985, the Sandhills Farm Life School Nature Trail was created by Loyd’s third-grade class with the help of one of the first grants by the Moore County Public Education Foundation.
“He was uplifting because he taught with music on his guitar. And we helped build his dream, the nature trail. We dug holes, built a bridge, and did it all hands-on,” Elizabeth Bruce Ragsdale said about being one of Loyd’s students who built the Sandhills Nature Trail, which is still in use.
Jaime McGill said Loyd used music to teach the times tables, and she still uses the hand movements he taught.
“Mr. Loyd taught me that being unique was cool,” Jonathan Aldridge added.
“He has made an impact on our lives with his creative teaching style through music, imagination, storytelling, nature trail, sports, through everything! He truly made learning fun and memorable,” Danielle Nelson said.
A display with colorized images of the student’s yearbook pictures graced the food table.
Loyd and his wife, Judy, attend Beulah Hill Baptist Church in West End, and he plays the organ at church. He posts music videos on his Facebook page, and students said his love of music extended into the classroom.
Feature photo: Ken Loyd arrives for a surprise reunion with former third-grade students April 5, 2025, in Whispering Pines.
~Article and photos by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Stephanie is also an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College. She is the author of When the Yellow Slugs Sing, Sky’s River Stone, GUTTERSNIPE: Shakespearean English Stage Play with Translation, Amagi, Amagi Study Guide, and EZ Essay Study Guide for Holocaust: A History.
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